UNION CITY, GEORGIA -- I purchased a car six months ago at the Toyota of Union City and made a trade at the same time. I was skeptical of purchasing the car that I picked out because it was not within my price range, but it was the only sports car they had in inventory. I was assured by the salesperson that in 6 months it would be refinanced if I make all of my payments on time (I assume this was the lie told to me to persuade me not to leave) . I relayed that I was on disability and that I was buying it under the pretense that it would be financed in six months, I and could not afford to make the payments beyond six months if it were not refinanced; I was again assured that I would be able to refinance, and that I would be contacted to do so in six months. The contract was made in such a rush that my address and phone numbers where not even entered properly (even though my address was on my driver's license). I wanted to bring my trade-in car back the next day after I cleaned it out, but was told that I could not. I rushed cleaning out my car. The next day I told him that I was missing a ring, and that I need to check the car I traded in. Chauncy [snip] told me that it was already gone. Several days later I found out that it was in fact not gone.
I was not asked whether I wanted a warranty or not but instead it was automatically added. I was told by my sales representative that there was no way of correcting it. I came back several days later to see if they got the drivers manual that Chauncy promised me (which I later found out from another sales representative that they don't order manuals if it didn't come with the vehicle), and was told that we could now do a new contract without the added unnecessary warranty. We did the new contract and I made sure that he had my correct contact information.
After 6 months of promptly making payments, I called the Toyota of Union City, and inquired about refinancing. I spoke to Melanie, who told me she would met with me to discuss it further. Upon arriving I was told that Melanie wanted me to meet with sales representative, DarAnthony[snip] instead. I was told that I was not approved for refinancing.
I was on my way out of the door when DarAnthony [snip] offered to "help me out" by putting me in a 2010 Toyota Matrix, and trading in the car I bought 6 months prior, in order to reduce my car payment by $65. I agreed to do so on the 26th of March. I was told to bring the car back in the morning for detailing. In the morning when I arrived it was revealed that the payment I agreed to would be increased because someone quoted me wrong interest rate, thus another contract was written with the new increased monthly payment. The sales floor manager Michael [snip], said that the car could be refinanced in twelve months and that if anything came up, or if I had any questions I should let him know.
The very next day I heard rattling coming from the car while I was going through a drive-through. I took the car to the nearest Toyota dealership (McDonough) and was told that someone must have backed up and hit something in the car, causing the muffler to be loose. The technician also stated that he could tell that no one looked under the hood in a while because the fluids were not topped off, the car had way too much oil, battery acid was all over the battery suggesting a leak, and lastly there was a rodent's nest near the filter!!! He suggested that I take the car back to where I purchased it. I called Mr. [snip], and left a message detailing the findings, but never received a call back.
With much hesitation, and regret I took the car to the service center of Toyota of Union City, accompanied by my father. Upon walking into the showroom I saw my salesperson, DarAnthony, who avoided us completely. He never asked why I brought the car back or anything. Instead he walk passed us several times. After boasting a couple of days prior about being the top sales man, he didn't have much to say at all. Another salesperson simply directed to the service center.
One of the general mangagers, Jeff [snip], spoke to my father and assured him that everything would be taken care of, explaining to him every detail of the process, at which my father directed him inform me instead of him, which was quite chauvinistic of Jeff. He explained that the inspection of the vehicle was obviously not done properly. The battery was replaced, and the rodent's nest removed. The rattling was not addressed because it was driven instead of parked, and the rattling could not be detected at the time it was checked.
Several days later I hear the rattling again, and I took the car back. I met with a different technician (Chad), of whom I told about the rattling and he set in the car with me in the parking lot and heard the rattling and cracking sounds. He determined that it was the muffler just as the technician at Toyota of McDonough did. He said he bent the plate that was above the muffler (or somehow or another tried to stop the muffler from rattling), and that if it didn't stop making noise, I should come back.
Again the next day I had to bring the car back with the same rattling. Chad told Jeff to handle the occurrence since he was going on vacation. Chad told Jeff that he heard the noise and believes that it is the muffler (confirming what the Toyota of McDonough said). In the course of doing paperwork Jeff, informed me that these things are hard to detect and that used cars sometimes have rattlings. I informed him that this is my 3rd used car that I purchased, and I've never had problems like this before.
Quite frankly, I am shocked that he actually said that knowing that several people had already determined something to be wrong with the car. Also I may not be a mechanic, but I know that a car just purchased should not sound like an old car. I would think that someone who worked with Toyota would feel the same way considering that this rattling car has this new Toyota of Union City tag on it, which would ward off anyone from buying a Toyota. I feel that if Chad did not hear the car for himself, then my concerns would have just been dismissed. I had the shuttle drop me off at work, and an hour later I get a call from Jeff stating that the noise that I had been hearing was caused by a gasket around the area of the muffler that was missing! It was non-existent, and needed to be ordered. After everything else that this car has going on underneath the hood, I am not extremely surprised. However, I cannot believe that a dealership like Toyota would sell a car like this. I had the missing gasket put on (my fourth venture to the service center), and I honestly don't feel very good about this whole experience or about the stability of this car. Currently the Maintenance Required light is on and will not go off. Which means that it was not properly maintained before I purchased it. I have driven it very little due to all of the problems I've had with it, however my family is planning to go out of town this week for a funeral and I am worried about taking my newly purchased car out of state. I feel like I am waiting for the next unpleasant surprise to be revealed under the hood, since obviously no one is looking very closely, even after receiving information about where a problem could have originated. As I've said I've bought 3 cars in the past, and have never had such a horrible experience. In fact I've never had any problems at all with my past cars. I truly regret doing business with such an unprofessional place and I can't tell you how bad it looks to come away from a Toyota dealership feeling as though I've been taken advantaged of;
Lastly this particular Toyota boast a 24hour return policy. Interesting enough this policy did not apply to me. Once I got home I noticed that on the "WE OWE" form, of all places, it stated that "customer will not bring back car in 24hrs", which is more than odd. I believe that Toyota of Union City knowing sold me a car with mechanical problems.
I think that the corporate office should know these happenings, because the actions of shady employees end up discouraging people from doing business with Toyota. I cannot tell you how many of my peers, co-workers, and family, have expressed shock and disappointment over my current predicament. I myself expected a lot more from a reputable business such as Toyota and I do not feel that anyone deserves to be dealt within this manner, especially when involving major investments

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Promises Promises

Posted by Jeanette on 09/17/2012

Rating: 4/51

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA -- I originally set out to purchase a Camry V6 in April 2012, but soon discovered it was very difficult to find. I finally found one at Toyota of San Bernardino and we began the negotiation. I had $15K in cash and we haggled over $500.00. Therefore I did not purchase the Camry. Instead my sales person, Dan Harris who was very pleasant to deal with, sold me an Avalon.

From day one, I hated the car. On day two I tried to return it and I was told I could not return it because I signed a buyer remorse clause. I wasnât aware that I had signed the clause because it was not explained to me during the signing of multiple documents. Iâm sure if an audit of Toyota of San Bernardinoâs loan documents were reviewed, it would show that the majority of the purchasers signed the buyerâs remorse clause without it being explained to them.

Nevertheless, the manager tried to help alleviate the situation by promising me better terms on the loan and provided me with an extended warranty. This wouldâve been acceptable if he delivered on his promises. I received the additional warranty but no break on the terms.

I brought my car in for maintenance twice and both times were a disaster. The first time was in July and I was promised a loaner car and when I got to the dealership at 7:30am there werenât any cars available. Therefore I had to wait until 9:00am when the rental car company opened to get a rental car. The rental company was supposed to open at 9:00am but their personnel did not open on time. I finally drove off with a rental car at 9:30am causing me to be extremely late for work.

The second visit to the dealership, I made my appointment and specifically stated I needed the shuttle services. I was told the shuttle services starts at 7:45am and my appointment was at 7:30am. When I arrived that morning, while I was waiting for my service paperwork to be written up, the shuttle van drove off at 7:37am. Therefore I had to wait an hour and a half before the shuttle van returned. Needless to say I was extremely unhappy because of the long wait.

After I picked up my car, I discovered one of the repairs was incomplete. I called my service representative, Gilbert and explained to him that my windshield wasnât sealed properly. He advised me to return on Saturday between 12:00pm & 1:00pm. I arrived on that Saturday at 12:10pm and Gilbert told me the windshield repair guy had already left. He had arrived early so he left. Gilbert told me the guy would return in twenty minutes. While I was waiting I spoke with the cashier and requested a manager. The cashier called the manager, Steve and he was told busy to help me so he told the cashier to contact Matt. I ask if Matt was a manager and the cashier told me no. I decided I didnât want to waste my time speaking with non-management.
I waited in the waiting room for about thirty minutes and the windshield guys never showed-up.

I went into the office to speak with Gilbert but he was helping another customer. Another representative asked if he could help and I told him I was tired of waiting and I was going to leave. I drove off without my windshield being fixed and no one bothers to contact me. Iâm not sure if they even realized I was gone. My vehicle was left with the keys in the car and anyone could have driven off with the vehicle because no one stopped me to question if the vehicle was even mine. As it stands now, I am riding around town with blue painterâs tape taped to my windshield because the repair was incomplete.

Since purchasing the Avalon Iâve had to have four tires replaced, the gas lock replaced, adjustments to the throttle, an oil change and the seal to the windshield re-sealed. Iâm sorry but how was this car certified? I am disappointed with the performance of the Avalon. This car represents one of the top of the line products of Toyota, yet the Bluetooth sound only comes out of one speaker. Iâve complained twice that when Iâm on a call the receiver can barely hear me and I find myself screaming into the speaker. Also the sound system in the car is not up to the caliber I desire. I drove a Nissan Maxima and the sound system in that car was superb. I cannot understand why one of the top of the line vehicle of Toyota was designed this way.

I am truly disappointed in the way Iâve been treated by Toyota of San Bernardino. It seems they are more concerned with sales than customer service. Why would I need to bring my vehicle in twice within four months after purchasing with so many problems? What happens to getting the job done once correctly? The windshield issue is truly an inconvenience to me and no one seems to care. I would never recommend anyone to purchase a car from Toyota of San Bernardino. They donât deliver on their promises nor do they do quality work in service.

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Unfair Sale

Posted by Cu on 05/27/2012

Rating: 1/51

WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA -- On March 18, 2012, I and wife purchased a new SUV from the Toyota of Winter Haven. I brought a copy of an quote I received from the dealer via E-mail for a 2012 RAV4 model priced at $22,189 to negotiate. The blue tooth system unique to the 2012 model was especially intriguing and a reason I preferred the 2012 model over the 2011. Also, after checking on the KBB, I saw that the 2011new vehicle loses almost $9000 in value for first year in contrast to a 2012 that loses significantly less. I lost two year value instead one year. The sales person, Amanda, conned me to test drove a 2011 RAV4 without my knowledge and corresponded back and forth with the sale manager many times, but finally met my price at $21,950 and a $4,700 trade for my old car, but the dealer did not tell me that price negotiated was for a 2011 vehicle. When I was almost finished signing the contract, I saw that the contract was for a 2011 model, rather than the negotiated 2012. Because I paid the price of a RAV4 2012 but received a RAV4 2011, I am not satisfied with this deal. I asked where the copy of an quote is, but they all said that do not know where it is at, and they cannot find it. Their sales manager, Matthew [snip], offered my wife and me $500 to keep the car, but knowing that would not fully compensate, I requested $700. Despite agreeing with my request, he only gave us $300 and some other form of compensation additional, but since it was Sunday, no high level management working and the deal would have to wait. He will talk to the highest management on Monday to compensate us. On March 20, 2012, I went back to Toyota of Winter Haven to speak to the high management. They responded with a bad attitude, and offered me no help, telling me I was bonded to the deal.
I believe I negotiated for a 2012 Toyota RAV4, thinking I got a fair deal, but in reality, the salesman and dealerships conned me into buying a 2011 model for the price of a 2012. The dealership unfair and deceptive sale and its workers are unfriendly and dishonest.
Also according from the dealer website, the dealer website offers 0% ARP for 36 months on a new 2011 RAV4 model. Also, according from edmunds.com, I could get a $500 rebate or 0% ARP. The Toyota of Winter Haven dealership did not offer us any of these saving programs.

I have a few of other dealer's quote via E-mail for a 2012 RAV4 model price: 1) Toyota of Tampa's quote priced it at $21398, 2) Toyota of Orlando's quote priced it at $21276 and 3) Smart Auto Offers' quote offered it for $21800.63. Also the quote via E-mail for the 2011 RAV4 model from Toyota of Tampa priced it at $19990. According to all of these quotes, it is clearly proven that Toyota of Winter Haven did not give me a fair price for my car.

I request for the Toyota of Winter Haven to exchange my 2011 RAV4 to 2012 and should meet the comparative price of the market. Refund over price for 2011 model.

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Misinformed/lack of knowledge and failure to maintain properly

Posted on 02/10/2010

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- I have owned and operated an automotive mechanical and body shop for 30 years now. I personally am a certified master tech and had originally worked for Nissan becoming one of the earliest Nissan Master techs. I served as a substitute teacher for a few auto equipment manufacturers, teaching both in the mechanical and collision trades in night classes when called upon. I have found over the years that there are a significant number of people that bought their cars and never opened their owners manual which came with the car, consequently never knew about the proper operation, care and maintenance of their vehicles. There are also the buyers who think that buying an economy car means that you do not have to maintain them with timing belt replacements and other services necessary.
A properly maintained Camry that I have had come through my shop on a scheduled maintenance basis often saw 250-300 thousand miles without any major repairs, just regular maintenance. Misunderstandings come often from not giving the service writer the proper information needed to address your problem. Case in point, I have a disgruntled customer who feels that because I replaced a drive belt on her car at her request (it needed replacment), it wouldn't start the following morning. The engine spins but won't start."did it do that before it came here?" Yes, but you put a new belt on my car, so you must have fixed it and now it has not remained fixed!" "NOW as with many other shops and dealerships, they are expected to give unconditional warranties on an entire car because they put a wrench to it? We get cars where they had an expensive repair done at a dealership and it quit running on them. They don't want to bring it back!
We often ask if we can see what the other shop had done? The majority of the time their problem is unrelated to the services rendered and often we see notes written on the receipt informing the customer of the very thing that the car ends up being towed into our shop for! Should the other shop be bad mouthed? Many people feel ripped off if they have a problem with a repair and do not want to bring their car back. IT IS YOUR CHOICE AS TO WHETHER YOU WISH TO EXERCISE A WARRANTY WITH THE SHOP THAT DID THE REPAIR.
DO NOT EXPECT TO PRESENT THEM WITH A BILL FROM ANOTHER SHOP BECAUSE IT WILL NOT STAND UP IN COURT! People look at Toyota's and think FOREIGN CAR!
WRONG! Depending on where you live, your neighbor may have built part of your car, truck or the engine! Look at the manufacturers label of you Chevrolet Impala some time MADE IN CANADA! WHY? what is wrong with the same Americans that Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Subaru employ to build cars that our citizens curse because they have foreign names. Check your Dodge Caravan. CANADA! Chevrolet had a joint venture one time in California building Toyota Corolla's and Geo's with American labor! Look at the label on a Geo tracker some time, it ain't made by Americans. Toyota Tundra's are manufactured in Indiana and Texas with American labor, NOT CANADIANs, Mexicans, OR CHINESE! The 381 HP V-8 in the Tundra is built by American workers in Alabama! The trickle down theory? How much do you think Toyota Motor corp affects our economy over all? Remember, shipping, insurance, vendors, technicians, warehouse facilities, dock workers, building contractors and their run off, Dealerships, independent shops as mine,
Auto-zone markets parts for Toyota's which aren't original equipment, but it is the Toyota vehicle being here that created the market which warranted enough call for them to seek out a company that would make a part for the car other than Toyota. I could go on, but I think you can grasp the concept of how positive Toyota Products affect our very economy. In our 30 years of operating, we have found Toyota's to be a top notch product in comparison to most of the competition. A 2000, Impala my mom owned the interior was falling apart, the paint had faded and the steering wheel at the top had disintegrated! My best friend's Dodge ram's dash board crumbled and so did the plastic face pieces. We couldn't even buy parts of the dash from a junk yard because they deteriorate that fast! My shop services all makes and models. It isn't any cheaper to fix a Chevy than a Toyota. I have had literally thousands of Toyota's through my shops over the 30 years I've been here. Yes, not every car is perfect, but see if you can look at and compare the technical service bulletins which are issued on each make and model. You will find Toyota's do not have anywhere near the problems of many of the other products. I do not believe that every Toyota which is being recalled has a problem. I believe that Toyota is bringing them in, in some cases to idiot proof them because some of the public haven't the brains to put the floor mat which they unhooked to clean the car, back on the hook designed to keep the mat from sliding toward the gas pedal.
And the people not smart enough to know that a floor mat not designed to fit may possibly interfere with the brake, clutch or accelerator pedal and haven't the common sense to keep from installing it.
For those who may experience a pedal sticking and/or cruise control which might want to take over, Look to your RIGHT! The thing called a GEAR SELECTOR. IT CAN EVEN BE KNOCKED INTO NEUTRAL EVEN BY A PERSON IN THE BACK SEAT IN A PANIC SITUATION. THERE IS ALSO A THING CALLED AN IGNITION SWITCH!
AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT REMOVE THE KEY, TURNING IT COUNTER CLOCKWISE WILL JUST TURN THE MOTOR OFF. Both actions Will immediately cause acceleration situation to stop.
There are more Toyota's, Honda's and Nissan's from the 70's and 80's on the roads then you might think. I have rarely a week where I do not have at least one Nissan, Toyota or Honda from those time frames. Right now I have 1 1971 240Z, 1 1978 280Z, 1 1970 Datsun 521 pick up, 1 1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1 1983 Mercedes 300TD, plus my body shop is doing two restorations. A 1965 Elcamino and a 1960 Impala. Both have been sitting for over 20 years. The others are daily drivers. This doesn't include later model Chevy's, Fords, BMW's, Mercedes, Toyota's +++

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Bad Service

Posted by Marina on 09/03/2009

VISTA -- 2 September 2009

To Whom it may concern:

When it was time for me to get a new car, I trusted in Toyota Motors for a variety of reasons. Generally speaking, Toyota is known for producing quality carsâand in the past, I have been very satisfied with the Toyota cars that I have owned. They have great gas mileage, they do not require as much maintenance as other lesser brands do, and they are aesthetically pleasing. I support Toyotaâs Lean Manufacturing. I have always recommended Toyotas to friends, family and colleagues.

However, unsatisfactory customer service can change all that. And, that it exactly what I have experienced at the Carlsbad Toyota Service Center.

I currently own a 2008 Toyota Yaris in Polar White. I have never had an issue with my car before. My reason for visiting the service center was due to an interior leak which (evidently) resulted from a clogged drain pipe for the air conditioning condensation. I first noticed the leaking drainpipe on August 30, 2009. It was the only time I ever saw anything leak from the interior of my car. I decided it would be a good idea to bring it in for a service check and I assumed that this type of thing would be covered under my 100,000 mile warranty. On September 1, 2009, I took my Yaris in for a service check.

David Ramstad is the person with whom I spoke with for most issues regarding my Yaris that day. Mr. Ramstad told me that the issue was not covered under my warranty but that the service check would be done free of charge on âgoodwill.â He explained to me multiple times what the issue was. He employed the use of technical jargon, which obviously, I did not understand because I do not work on cars for a living. I asked Mr. Ramstad to explain what was going on inside my car in more elementary terms, but he proceeded to explain the issue the same exact way. He also seemed rushed, and told me, âI only have 15 minutes.â He seemed eager to get to the next customer, but I left without having my questions answered. Today, I still do not understand how a brand new Toyota could end up with a clogged drainpipe after not even two years of ownership. I left confused and unsure about the stability of my car.

When I asked if my car came installed with a cabin filter (because I had read that some Yarii do not), Mr. Ramstad told me that the computer system reads that my Yaris does, in fact, come equipped with a cabin filter. I had asked him to physically check if I have one before my car was serviced. When I picked my car up, I asked him if he found a cabin filter. Mr. Ramstad said he did not checkâhe only looked in the computer system. He then slid his fingers in the glove compartment and said he could feel it. But again, I left feeling very unsure about this, too, because I couldnât see or feel it.

After I left the dealership I felt better (despite the bad customer service) because I thought my car is good condition again. I was wrong. After making a quick stop at home, I was on my way to school when my âcheck engineâ light came on. I was at a stoplight just a block and a half from my house when this occurred. Then, while sitting at a red light still, the âoverheatingâ warning sign came on. When the traffic started moving I immediately pulled overâobviously baffled! How could a Toyota with a little over twenty thousand miles on it be overheating?

Of course, I immediately called Toyota Carlsbad to sort this issue out. Only an hour has elapsed between the time I left the dealership and the time my car began overheating. When Mr. Ramstad called me back about my Yaris, he immediately blamed the accident I had. But there are a few noteworthy points to make: first, my accident only dealt body damage to my vehicleâthis can be easily confirmed; second, the accident happened in January and since then, I have made two trips to Northern California (a long drive) and over five trips to Palomar Mountain (which is a strenuous drive); and third, my vehicle was in perfect health, aside from the clogged drain pipe, before taking it to the Toyota Dealership.

Mr. Ramstad claims that the hood of my car was never even opened during my service visit precisely because of the front end body damage. Since I was not there, and there are no witnesses I can trust, how can I believe this? It is ridiculous to ask me to believe that I brought my car in for service, and the hood of my car was never opened. Why would Mr. Ramstad and/or any other personnel not open the hood of my car if I am clearly bringing the vehicle to be serviced? Mr. Ramstad never offered me any advice and was cold on the phone, even as I sat in my car with smoke coming out from under the hood on the side of the road. He simply blamed some minor body damage for the reason my new car was overheating!

When I realized that Toyota Carlsbad was not going to help me, I simply hung up and waited for my car to cool down. When it was safe to do so, I popped the hood of my car myself. Upon inspection, I noticed three things: the radiator cap was off, the intake pipe was completely off, and the engine coolant cap was off. I do not know a lot about cars, but I do know that if my car was in this condition before I had finished having it serviced by Toyota Carlsbad that I would have never have made it to the dealershipârather, I would not have had any other choice but to tow it there. The situation seemed like too much of a coincidence to me.

Luckily for me, I was able to sort things out without the help of Toyota Carlsbadâs service âprofessionals.â I cannot prove whether or not one of Toyotaâs service employees opened the hood of my car and made an honest mistake in leaving the engine coolant cap off. But, Toyotaâs success had to do with GM and its dealers ignoring customer complaints, not servicing warranty claims, and substandard products. Perhaps Toyota and its dealers are headed in the same direction.

I will be elevating this issue as far as I can go with it. I did not feel that I was treated equally or with respect during my visit to the service department whatsoever. I have always held Toyota in high esteem. I will never service my car again in the Toyota Service Center in Carlsbad, CAâand I will never recommend that anyone goes there for anything. In fact, Iâll be pretty vocal about discouraging anyone I know from going there. And, if anyone else wants to hear my opinion (JD Power & Associates, my attorney general, the Better Business Bureau, newspaper, and/or any Consumer Reports that will listen), I will gladly explain my experience in full detail.

It is really too bad that coming to your service center had been such an aggravating experience. I hated being rushed out and feeling like I had been lied to and/or misled. No one enjoys being patronized or dealing with a condescending service professional. Maybe Honda will treat me better.

Signed,

Marina

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Toyota Tacoma- Chipping Paint, Bent Tailgate

Posted by P_O'd Taco on 08/22/2009

TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA -- 5/20/05 - 4080 miles
Chipping paint- on hood, roof, front quarter panels and in front of rear wheels on bed.
Took vehicle to Toyota of Nashua (Nashua, NH) for evaluation. Toyota personnel told me that these were rock chips. I agreed, but stated that the paint was brittle and should not have chipped. Other Tacoma owners with Speedway Blue trucks complained about paint chipping. I read about these cases on the Internet site TundaSolutions. Bob Peterson (Service manager) and Josh Offit (Regional manager) offered to repaint the bed, but required that I spend $400 for Toyota running boards. I told them that this was unacceptable and that I should not have to spend any money, as this is a Toyota paint defect issue. Issue not resolved.

9/14/05- 10234 miles
Bent tailgate- Approximately Mid-August 2005, I was loading a riding lawnmower into the back of the truck, when I felt the tailgate give way. After removing the lawn mower and ramp, I saw that the left side of the tailgate was bent outward. The tailgate did close properly. Tailgate had NO labels that told of a weight limit, nor were there any labels in the truck. The Owner’s Manual did not have any warnings of tailgate damage due to excessive weight. I found out soon after that the tailgate can only hold 200 pounds. This is totally unacceptable for a vehicle that is designed to carry ½ Ton. My 1996 Tacoma could easily load & haul the riding lawnmower.
Took the vehicle to the dealer (Toyota of Nashua) on Sept 14, 2005. I showed the vehicle to Bob Peterson and Josh Offit. I explained that there was NO warning labels in or on the truck, nor in the Owner’s Manual that stated a 200LB weight limit.
Josh & Bob left me outside in 90-degree weather while they went inside to find documentation that states that the tailgate only has a 200LB rating. They came back in about 20 minutes and told me that they could not find any documentation, but reaffirmed that I was at fault for the damaged tailgate and that I abused the truck. I told them that they were wrong and that this is a Toyota manufacturing defect. And that the problem needs to be corrected AT NO COST TO ME!

Josh asked me why Toyota would make a cheap tailgate? I said, you should know, you work for the company. I then explained that the light tailgate and composite bed were to save weight, thus increasing gas mileage.

I explained that my family ALL had Toyotas,
Father- ‘89 Xtracab Pickup/ ’94 Celica ST
Mother- ’95 Avalon XLS
Brother- ‘’96 Tacoma Std Cab
Sister- ’97 Tacoma Extra Cab
Sister- 2000 RAV4
Me- 1989 Deluxe Pickup, 1996 Tacoma Std Cab V6
and the fact that this is my third Toyota should mean that they would want to take care of my issues to keep a customer happy. All of this fell on deaf ears.

In any case, the truck was not repaired. Josh and Bob did not give me a receipt to show that my truck was in the shop for this issue, as they felt that the issue was caused by me and that I was wasting their time.

I called Toyota Customer Care that evening and let them know that I am a VERY UNHAPPY customer.

Issue not resolved.

7/31/07- 36682 miles
7/31/07 36682 Bent tailgate- I had my truck in for other warranty service. I asked Service Advisor Kelsey McDonnell if Toyota had acknowledged that there were defects with the 2005-2007 Tacoma tailgates and provided a Technical Service Bulletin. He replied that Toyota had no technical service bulletins regarding the tailgate.
Furthermore, the dealer ( Toyota Of Nashua) had never heard of any other incidents of Tacoma tailgate failures. I explained my situation and he told me that there was nothing further he could do.

The warranty service included- replacement of a rear shock absorber and the main wiring harness ( Air Bag light was on). I have some other wiring passing through the firewall. This wiring consists of a remote radar detector and an Amateur radio antenna cable. I let Kelsey know that this wiring was in place, and could they please be careful to put it back the way they found it. I was assured that the top accessory technician at the dealership would put everything back together correctly. When I picked up the truck, the radar detector powered ON, but it indicated that the remote sensor was not connected. And the wiring for the Amateur radio antenna was too short to connect to my radio. The antenna wire was coiled up behind the dashboard and was tie-wrapped to an air conditioner Freon line. This line was HOT and it would have melted the insulation on the antenna cable had I driven the truck for more than the 10 minutes it took to get home. I drove back to the dealer and told them of these problems. Kelsey did not seem interested in helping me, he told me that they could take a quick look at the problem, but that was as far as they would go. I told him that this was unacceptable and that he just lost a customer. I went home and fixed the problems with the antenna and radar detector myself.

Later that night, I called the Toyota Customer Care line and I spoke to Reginald. He was no help and he refused to let me speak to his boss.

5/21/09- 51703 miles
I now live in Tucson, Az. I brought the truck to Precision Toyota in Tucson to have an ECU update done (starting issues, cranks for a long time) ,to look at the tailgate and the paint chipping. I worked with Service Advisor Connor Cullen and Service Drive Manager Tommy Rayl. Point of note- Technical Service Bulletins This is the second Toyota dealership I have been to that acts like they never heard of a Technical Service Bulletin until the customer shows them a hardcopy. Toyota of Nashua also responded in this manner when asked if there was a TSB concerning an issue with a vehicle.
ECU Issue- The truck does have the latest ECU code so there was nothing that could be done regarding the ECU. The tailgate issue is still not resolved, I was told that they need proof that the issue was brought to Toyota’s attention before the 3/36 warranty was up. The Paint Chipping issue was not diagnosed in the shop, but I was told by Connor and Tommy that it was road debris and there was nothing they could do about it. Tommy told me that his ’07 Tacoma has rock chips. I still contend that the paint or the painting process is inferior.
They suggested that I call Toyota Customer Care to see what assistance Toyota Corporate could provide.
I called Customer Care and spoke to Charmainge. My case # is 0905-127349. I explained to her about my visit to Precision Toyota a few hours earlier. She told me that under the history for my vehicle, Josh Offit, the New England Regional Service manager, did look at my truck back in September of 2005 concerning the tailgate. At that time, I was refused assistance. Josh had determined that I abused and damaged the truck. There was no technical service bulletin at the time. There is now a technical Service Bulletin (BO018-07) dated 11/13/07 concerning the tailgate. Because Josh claimed that I was at fault back in 2005, Toyota still refuses to fix my truck. Charmaigne reiterated that once a Regional Service manager makes a ruling, it cannot be reversed or superseded. Also, she told me that Toyota would not help me because I admitted to bending the tailgate. My Response- Toyota did a poor job engineering the tailgate and the problem lies with Toyota manufacturing and customer service.

The ’09 Tacoma has a heavier tailgate than my truck, and by coming out with a TSB, they acknowledged that there is a problem with the tailgate. Toyota should be fixing ALL defective Tacoma tailgates, regardless of mileage.
I will be speaking with the customer service representative at Precision Toyota in the next week.

5/26/09
I did speak with Mohammad, the customer relations from Precision Toyota. He told me that Toyota would not warranty my tailgate. I explained the tailgate issue to him. He made some notes, then told me to call the Customer care line again. I told him that they had already denied my claim. He told me to call again.

I spoke with Toyota Customer Care Line (Nicole) She was very pleasant, but offered no help. She told me that the Denver regional office reviewed my case and denied any assistance.

7/24/09
I received a call from Toyota Customer care on 7/23/09 and returned the call on 7/24/09. I spoke to Christine.
I gave her my case number. She looked at the notes and asked if I had been contacted by the Western Regional parts manager. I told her that I had not been contacted by any representative from the regional office. She told me that the Regional parts manager has declined my request for service. I explained that I will not buy any more Toyotas and I will tell anybody that asks about my truck not to buy a Toyota until my vehicle is fixed to my satisfaction under warranty. She then said “ I am sorry that you are having a problem with your vehicle.”
“Thanks for calling Toyota, have a nice day.” She then hung up on me.

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customer dissatisfaction

Posted on 10/21/2001

CLARKSVILLE, INDIANA -- I recently decided to purchase a new car. I had decided upon a Toyota Celica GT. I found it online and was overjoyed that I would not have to drive far to the dealership. In the past week, before purchasing my car, I had looked around at other Toyota dealerships in the area and already new exactly what I wanted. My father and mother joined me in looking at the car I was interested in buying, and unfortunately with conflicting work schedules we did not have time to do much more that day than look at it. I spoke with the sales manager and I told him that I was interested in the Carbon Blue Celica they had on the lot and to my amazement he did not even know that it was there. Needless to say, I was shocked about that.
But, a few days later I came back hoping the car was still there ready to purchase it. My father had decided that he would let me have his car(my previous vehicle) as a trade-in and then I had gathered a small amount of cash to put down on it. The sales person that we worked with was very friendly and explained to me everything. He was very understanding since this was my first car purchase.He was also very informative, I really appreciated that. With this being my first car purchase, I had done my research on the car and also on the car I had planned to trade in. My father had offered me no help in getting this car from the very beginning. He informed me that I would be doing it all on my own and we informed the manager of that also.
As one knows, buying a car means sitting in these little chairs for 4 hours??? Anyway, I did understand that they were working hard to get me this car, so the waiting was no big deal. You can imagine my excitement when they came out and told me that I did not require a cosigner. I was so happy, even though now my down payment was lower than I had expected.I had researched that a dealer would give me $1200 for my car, Greentree told me that they would give me $500. I said no way. I have respect for my old car, it had gotten me everywhere for 3 years. I decided then that I would sell my old car and then refinance the new one. To try to shorten this letter, I came up with another $500 dollars and put $1000 down on my new car that day. I had intended with the trade in to put $2000 down, but they accepted $1000, so I left it at that.
After all the paper work was done, and after having been at Greentree Toyota in Clarksville, IN for nearly four and a half hours, I was driving off the lot in my own new car. That, I was extremely happy about, 'my own new car.' As happy as I was I went to friends houses and showed my new pretty off, then I went to work and showed it off. I loved it. After three days, I had just gotten used to my new car and had become very comfortable with it, I received a phone call from someone in the dealership saying to me that I did need a cosigner. This I did not understand and I expressed this to him, I had a new car in my driveway that I had already purchased full coverage insurance on, I had the first car payment already saved up and in the bank and I had the money that I would need to register the car. I asked him why it was in my driveway if I had needed a cosigner. Why they had not seen that I needed a cosigner when they told me that I did not?? Of course, I got no real answer for my questions. I told them that I did not understand and that he would have to explain this to my father. He promised to call the next day, which he did not. Then two days later the manager of Greentree Toyota called me and told me that I needed the cosigner, I told him to talk to dad. Well, with my father already being at work, I took out all of my papers and read all the little fine print and still to my belief that car was mine. So, I called my lawyer and spoke with him. He informed me that my problem lies with the credit union, and after that I called them. I explained to them that I had planned on having this $21,000 loan paid for under two years time. They said although I had excellent credit they could not finance a loan of that amount. I understood.
I told my father that when the manager called him to tell him that I would just bring the car to him. I found a cosigner, and six days after I had thought that I had bought my very own car, I was on my back to the dealership to get the car jointly with someone??? Less than a minute away from the dealership I quickly decided that I would return the car. Since it was now used with nearly 600 miles, why would I still want to go through the whole purchase again and still pay new car price? Also, I had noticed that the paint had been scratched in the cleaning of my new car. I believe that the people that clean the car had left the buffer to long or not long enough. There were little hairline scratches all over the paint job. Also, where the ignition key fitting was, it was not correctly fitted into the steering column, there was a big gap, plus I had to be at work in two hours, leaving me with one hour to get ready, one hour in driving time.
I walked into the dealership that day, holding back the tears, I had fallen in love with that car. The manager walked up to me and I gave him the keys, the brochures, and owners manual, and the little binder that they had to mail to me because they were out when I purchased the car.
I was so upset that I gave myself a migraine and my work sent me home because, honestly I would not have been worth anything to my customers.
I am still very upset about this incident. As you could imagine. I had believed that I had a new car. I was excited. I was going to pay for the thing on my own, which I make more than enough to double my payments every month. I actually had planned out a budget. I was going to pay $1000 every month to pay off that car and plus refinance it after I sold my old one.
This has caused me a great deal of stress, as I have explained.

To help keep me as a potential future customer, I would like the following:

More than anything, I wanted to write this letter in order to express my dissatisfaction with Greentree Toyota. If they knew that I was going into this without a cosigner why did they let me leave with the car and then a week later, decide I do need a cosigner. I still do not understand completely what even happened. I would like to know.
But, with all things said, almost, I will not bother you with the fact that now I have to cancel a planned trip because I do not really want to drive my old car. I had enjoyed the luxuries of my now past new car.
I am still interested in purchasing a new car from Toyota. I do want a new Celica. Unfortunately, with it being the end of October already, I may as well wait until the weather gets better, and then, I can just pay for the new car in full in cash somewhere other than Greentree Toyota.
I have told many people of this incident and actually many of my customers also. I do not talk bad of Toyota, just Greentree Toyota.
Thank you for listening, more than anything I wanted to express how upset this has made me, I do feel for you having to read this complaint, in my job, I also sometimes have to read these. Thanks again

At the very least I would like a response from your company regarding this incident. Thank you for your time.

My wife got a quote on a car over the phone from one of their sales associates. After the offer was made, she took our baby twin girls to the bank to get a cashier's check, and we drove 45 minutes to get to the dealership.

We show up, check in hand, and tell them exactly what we were told on the phone. They say, great, why don't you test drive the car before you buy it. And then, after my wife had driven the vehicle, they explain that they were NOT WILLING TO HONOR THE PRICE THEY OFFERED OVER THE PHONE!

And then the sales manager proceeded to lie through his teeth, claiming the sales associate who made the offer "wasn't answering his phone". But the guy who made the offer was clearly in the building--we were told as such by other employees.

This was a massively painful ordeal, shuttling our baby twins around to get a cashier's check and driving up to the dealership, and WE WASTED FOUR HOURS THAT I WISH WE COULD HAVE BACK.

These people DON'T SEEM TO CARE AT ALL that they wasted our time.

They don't care that what they're doing is UNETHICAL.

And they don't seem the least bit troubled by the fact that THEY LIED TO A MOTHER OF TWIN BABIES TO LURE HER INTO THE BUILDING SO THAT THE SALES MANAGER WOULD GET A CHANCE TO HUSTLER HER.

These people have no shame, no scruples, and no dignity whatsoever.

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Terrible Customer Service Experience

Posted by kfergy on 05/14/2009

I bought my first new car, a Toyota Corolla, at Kenny Ross Toyota in Moon Twp., PA. The salesman I worked with was great, HOWEVER, working with their financial representative was one of the worst customer service experiences Iâve ever had.

He kept pushing the extended warranty. I told him NO THREE times. He was insisting that the warranty would only cost $1 or $2 a month, even though that figure didnât add up. He finally came back with an offer that put the warranty at $200, instead of the initial $900. He showed me two figures, one with the warranty and one without. The one with the warranty was only $200 more. For that price I agreed to it.
When I was shown the final bill the list price for the warranty was $903, I asked him about it. He stated that in order to offset the $903 for the warranty he gave me a discount on the interest rate. I made the mistake of signing the papers (I should've walked away that point).

Once I got home I reviewed the paperwork and the deal didnât make sense to me. I couldnât understand how I had saved $700 with the adjusted interest rate. It was nowhere in writing. I went back to the dealership to see if I could get an explanation. I asked financial representative several questions about the numbers. He told me to âstop playing gamesâ. He finally explained to me how he came to the numbers on the final agreement:
The car without the warranty was shown at an interest rate of 9.6%
The car with the warranty was shown at an interest rate of 7.4%
(He didnât explain this to me until AFTER I had signed the papers).

If I wouldâve know about those exact interest rates at the time I signed the paperwork I never wouldâve taken the deal. I also wouldâve shopped around for better interest rates if I had been quoted at 9.6%.
I asked the financial representative when I could cancel the warranty. He said I would have to wait 30 days before I could cancel it since the papers were in transit to the bank. (That wasn't true).

I called his manager the next day, explained the situation to him and told him I wanted to cancel the warranty as soon as possible. He told me I could come in and sign off on it that day, so that's what I did. The financial representative told me that the $903 would be taken off of the principal of my loan and it could take up to 3 weeks for the figure to show up on my statement.
Six weeks later the figure had not come off my balance so I called the manager and he referred me to the financial rep. I was told that sometimes it can take up to two months for the money to be taken off the principal.
Two and a half months after signing the warranty cancellation the money still had not come off the principal. Over a 12 day period I placed ten phone calls, left six messages, spoke to the finance representative twice, the manager once and had my father send an email to the dealership. None of my messages were returned. On October 29 I was promised a call back within 15 minutes of speaking to the financial manager. Two hours later I had received no word so I called and left a message asking him to call me. He never returned the message. On November 1st I spoke to the manager and he promised me a call back about the situation on Monday, the 3rd. I finally received a call back on Tuesday the 4th from the financial rep. He stated that the deduction would be processed that day and a copy of the paper work would be faxed to me.
When I received the paperwork from Kenny Ross Toyota it stated that only $703 (as opposed to the $903 promised) had been deducted from my loan. I called the financial representative again and was told he would look into it and get back to me. I called once again two days later and he told me that he would talk to someone in the leasing department on Monday about it. No word on Monday so I called yet again on Tuesday and he said he couldnât help me and I would have to talk the leasing office. I left a message with leasing that day. I finally got in touch with them on Wednesday and had the remaining $200 deducted by that Thursday.

After canceling the warranty I had to place 16 calls to this dealership just to get to what they had promised me three and a half months earlier. (I would have gone in person but my job required me to move out of state). I felt like I was being ignored in the hopes that I would just go away. Working with the financing representative was an absolute pain. He was condescending, manipulative and I felt like he was just trying to pull one over on me so he could get a few extra bucks.

The worst part for me is that in mid December of last year I sent my customer survey (with an attached letter) to Toyota detailing my experience. It's been five months and I haven't received so much as a "thanks for filling out our survey". It doesn't seem like Toyota cares about me as a customer.

This was my first new car and my first experience with Toyota. I should've known better when making the deal, but that does not justify the way I was handled by the financial rep. or Toyota itself. The car is very nice but to be honest I wish I would not have purchased it.

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Car Engine Light on My Toyota 2000 Keeps Going On

Posted by guilherminacoleman6 on 10/20/2012

Rating: 1/51

DARTMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS -- I got my new Toyota Carroll at the dart Toyota in Dartmouth in the year 2000. 6 MONTHS after I got it, the engine light went on and they fixed it but it cost me some money. They said that I had to replace the Gas cap. They did but a few months later came back on again. THIS WENT ON FOR YEARS.
I did not know why it did but they always said they could fix it.
Later one of the guys working there said to me that they told him when I came in for the oil change or came in because of the engine light was on just to reset it and that was what they wear doing. He said that they did not know what really was wrong with it and He ask me not to let any one at the Toyota Dealer know what he said to me but he wanted me to know it he was so sorry that I was being lied too..
I needed new tires and day put them on and a week later when I went to have my Oil change in the Toyota they said that I needed new tires. I ask for the manager and he apologized and told me it was a miss understanding .
I always went to them for all repairs on the Toyota Carroll and I always thought that they were doing a good job but some times I did not like the way they talk to me. I was lied to so many times that I do not want to take my car there any more. I am still trying to find out what is wrong with my Toyota Carroll Light engine. I am always taking the car in to the Garage because I am still having problems with the engine light coming on and it is costing me lots of money for the repairs.
Can ANY ONE TELL ME what is really wrong with this car.
I have replaced so many parts in this Toyota Carroll and every few months
the engine light comes on .
Guilhermina Coleman